Heart of a Fighter
by critterlady
Summary: One of the team gets help from a runaway looking for a place to call home. Includes all Avengers. Rated T for mild lang/violence. I don't own any of the MARVEL characters, Tamara is my own creation. This is just for fun, nothing more. Please R&R, constructive criticism appreciated. 15 total chapters
1. Clint

Things had been quiet around the tower for weeks. Tony and Bruce were busy in the labs while Natasha was off on a mission. Steve had gotten bored so began visiting S.H.I.E.L.D.'s New York location to help train junior agents in hand to hand combat. Clint had decided to take a vacation after Tasha had been gone for two weeks but no one was concerned that he didn't call or check in. Clint only checked in with Tasha, she was the one who really mattered. Around 4 one afternoon, Tasha finally turned up in the tower, tired and slightly battered and bruised. Everyone figured Clint would return shortly but when he hadn't returned by 8, Tasha tried calling his phone. When no one answered, Tony had JARVIS trace the phone and they were surprised when the location showed as a Miami Florida police station. Tasha called the local office and they sent someone to see if Clint was at the station. The agent reported back that Clint wasn't anywhere around. Tony decided to have JARVIS hack Clint's phone and set off a very annoying ring-tone, it turned out that Clint's phone was in the property locker. Now growing concerned and upset by the refusal of the police to reveal how they obtained Clint's phone, Tony decided to hack the system. He found the info they wanted, Clint's phone was found at the scene of a multiple homicide. Two people were found dead, both killed by knives. Blood from several other people was also found at the scene. Tony quickly accessed the reports and found that DNA testing had been done on blood found at the scene. He pulled up the DNA typing and had JARVIS compare it to records they had for Clint. Everyone was shocked when they found that some of the blood found matched Clint's.

Tony had JARVIS book hotel rooms in Miami for everyone as they headed to the airport. Tasha called Fury himself and told him+ what Tony had been able to find out, Clint was hurt and missing, and they were going to find him. By the time they arrived at the airport, Fury had a pilot and jet waiting, along with agents familiar with the area who would help them deal with local authorities. By the time they arrived in Miami, Tony had details on the motel that Clint had been staying at. Surprisingly, he had been seen just that morning, when he checked out. He had rented a car and it had not been returned to the airport. One of the staff at the motel remembered Clint had asked about shopping and had given him directions to a small local store with hand-crafted items. Everyone decided that would be the first place they looked. Tony had JARVIS begin running scans through all the traffic cameras and any other network he could find, the car was finally located, just a block from the store the motel employee directed Clint towards. Unfortunately, that was also just blocks away from the crime scene. Tasha went to check out the car and came back more worried than ever. All Clint's belongings were locked in the trunk, including his bow case. Clint would never have left his bow in the car if he intended to be gone very long.

Meanwhile, never knowing that people were looking for him, Clint's injuries were being tended by a young woman. She'd lived on the streets since she was 12, a runaway, but she had managed to survive. She made friends with some of the other street people and learned a lot. She learned how to take care of her own injuries, how to hide, who to trust, and most importantly, how to protect herself. She never liked hurting people, but she had already killed more than once in her young life. As she cleaned up the many cuts on the young man, she wondered what he did that left him with so many scars. She regretted that she was not able to do a better job, she knew her repairs were not the prettiest but she was too concerned with blood loss to worry about neat stitches. What really concerned her was the fact that he was unconscious and not responding at all. Most people, even when unconscious, made some noise when she was stitching them up.

Taking a chance, she began to slowly remove his shirt, wincing when she saw the cuts and bruises covering his torso. Tearing a sheet into strips, she wrapped his ribs as tight as possible, knowing he may well have cracked ribs and praying none were broken. As she carefully ran her fingers over his body, she was relieved not to find any other broken bones. His left ankle was badly swollen and so she used more strips to bind it, hoping it was just a sprain and not torn ligaments. She knew he really needed a doctor but she was afraid he would be thrown in jail. She had watched him kill one man and she hated that she had killed again herself, but she just couldn't watch him get killed. She knew the risk she was taking, there was no way for the men to know Amber wasn't with her. But luckily, they never stopped to see if she was alone, they just ran.

She was up early the next morning, afraid to check on the man, but her fear was unfounded for he still lived. He was still unconscious and that concerned her and she decided she had no choice, time to visit the clinic for help. She knew that Jake would not question her need for medical supplies. He had taught her much about healing and she was as good as any of his nurses. She smiled when she thought of him, he was almost family. He offered her a home but he knew how she had suffered in foster care. So he began to teach her about medicine, even providing her with a small medical kit and equipment. In turn, she began to care for injured runaways and would bring them to him when it was beyond her knowledge. It wasn't much but since she trusted him, other runaways began to trust him and he was able to provide the medical care they needed. He knew he could lose his license if anyone found out what he had done with her but really, all he did was give her the equivalent of basic EMT training. He never provided her with anything she couldn't have bought in any WalMart either.

Before leaving her home, she made sure Amber knew the man was not to be harmed. Amber climbed a nearby tree and watched her as she snuck out. She wasn't worried the man would wake up, she was more concerned that he wouldn't and she wondered if maybe she needed to let the doctor see her home. Deciding that for now her privacy and Amber were more important, she decided not to risk bringing the doctor to her home. Finally, she reached the clinic and entered the waiting area. When the nurse on duty saw her, she simply smiled and nodded her head, then left the room. A few minutes later, the doctor came out and motioned her towards an empty room.

"Tamara, I know you're not hear to chat, so what do you need, more supplies?"

"Yeah, and advice."

"Tell me what supplies you need and I'll gather them while we discuss your problem, fair."

"Just the usual but double quantity. Gauze, bandages, tape, ointment, a little of everything. I'm about out of everything after last night. I had to do some stitching too so if you can give me some of that numbing ointment, that'd be great."

"Sounds like a bad one, or is it several people, wanna give me details?"

"Just one guy, he's got at least some bruised ribs, maybe cracked but none feel broken. Left ankle was twisted so I wrapped it. Put 24 stitches total in him over 5 spots. What worries me is he is unconscious but I don't know if it's pain or a knock in the head. Put 4 stitches in his scalp, over the left ear they hit him with a pipe."

"OK, so why don't you take him to the hospital?"

"Can't, they might arrest him and he doesn't belong in jail. He got caught up in a gang fight but he's not part of either gang, trust me, he's not from around here. And yes, I checked for a wallet but it was gone, guess they took it after beating him. He killed one guy, just did the cops a favor as far as I'm concerned though. But he wouldn't be safe in any hospital here, they'd be out to kill him. As it is, they know I have him now and they won't dare go after him. Once he's awake, I'm gonna try and get him home, so long as he can tell me where home is, I just hope it's nowhere around here."

"You know he could have a serious injury if he's still unconscious?"

"Yeah, but I'm watching him carefully, pupils are normal, reflexes are normal, I promise, first sign of trouble, I'll bring you to him, even at the cost of my privacy, deal."

"Fine, here's everything you need, plus a little extra. I'm giving you some glucose gel too, just in case he stays out. As long as he's breathing fine, you can give him the gel in very small amounts. If you stroke his throat, it should trigger the swallow reflex. Just remember to be careful, you don't know he can be trusted."

"Don't worry, Amber is always around. I don't know of any man that can get past her without getting seriously hurt. Remember the first time you encountered 100 lbs of pissed off cat, do you really think he'd try anything with her around, especially since he's already injured?"

"Huh, you've got a point. I've had a couple the street girls come in lately, beaten and bruised, and drugged. I think one of the gangs has started drugging people as an initiation ritual."

"Great, maybe it's a good thing he's out then. Don't think I can handle someone his size if they're jacked up, at least not without hurting him. What's the word on the streets?"

"Two gang members dead, both Dragons. Cops are writing it off as just the gang members did it. Look, if that guy killed someone, you're not safe. It's not easy to kill someone, that takes a toll on the soul, trust me. He could be a cold-blooded killer for all you know."

"Yeah, but I'm trusting my instincts here Doc. Look, when you were overseas, how many people did you kill, over a dozen for sure, right? But you hated doing it, you did it to survive."

"That was different, I was in the middle of a war. It was kill or be killed."

"And last night he was caught in a war, same thing, just this war was between gangs. I'll spend the day at the beach or park doing art, time to make a few dollars anyways. You'll bank it for me as usual?"

"Yeah, but I really wish you'd just move in my place. I worry about you and you know I won't hurt you."

"Yeah, but Amber won't tolerate the city. And I won't abandon her, we've been together too long, she's all the family I have. Can you pick up some groceries for me, I'll stop by tonight around 9pm."

"Look, take this phone, just in case he gets worse. We can meet at the park and then you can take me to him."

"Look Doc, I know you're worried but I can take care of myself. And first sign of trouble, I'll call ya for help, deal."

Tamara walked out of the clinic and if her backpack was fuller than when she came in, Judy just ignored it. Like the doctor, she knew that Tamara took care of the other runaways and would get word to them if anything serious came up. Judy watched her leave and her heart broke, she knew what kind of hell Tamara had survived. But in just a few months, she would be 18, and Judy had decided to urge her to go for her GED and start going to the local college. Even though Tamara didn't officially go to school, she did the same work as Judy's own daughter and made excellent grades. Judy home-schooled her daughter and she allowed Tamara to use the same textbooks and even graded her work. Tamara was intelligent, too bad she couldn't attend school, she would get academic scholarships easily. Life had dealt Tamara a rough hand in life.

Tamara left the clinic and decided to visit the park. She set up in her usual spot and waited for the tourists to begin arriving. Michael was happy to see her, since he spent a lot of his time making frames to fit her sketches. He eagerly brought out his gift, new pencils and a couple of sketch pads. He watched as she greeted Ginger, his assistance dog, and made herself comfortable. Michael was deaf, but he didn't let that stop him. He lived in a group home with several other men. He thought of Tamara as a niece and wished he was able to live alone and provide her with a home. Resigned, he watched as she began to sketch the glades, she knew tourists liked those scenes.


	2. The Search

Meanwhile, back at the motel, the rest of the Avengers were up and beginning to get organized. Tony had JARVIS scanning every camera he could find and keeping tabs on what the police had discovered. Fury wasn't happy and wanted to send agents in to get the police info but Tasha convinced him that no one would work as hard as the team to find Clint. Reluctantly, Fury had agreed to stay out of the search but they knew to contact him immediately. Tasha and Bruce had a local map and were dividing up the area clinics, knowing that Clint would seek out a clinic before he visited a hospital. Steve had already contacted the area hospitals, claiming to be looking for his missing brother. No one matching Clint's description had shown up and every hospital had a number to call if he did turn up. Thor was still in Asgard but Pepper was on top of the situation, as soon as Thor returned, she would tell him what happened and he would join them.

The area of the attack was in a bad part of town, full of gangs and turf wars. Steve decided that he and Tasha would act as tourists and check around the area. Steve would be looking for his "brother" while Tasha would be looking for her "boyfriend". Bruce would visit the clinics in the area, they only found 4 within 5 miles of the scene. Tony was on standby with JARVIS. Everyone hoped that no one was stupid enough to try to push Bruce around, they didn't want the other guy to make a mess of the city. Everyone left to begin the hunt for Clint.

They soon reached the area where the car was found and Bruce split off to begin checking the clinics. The last clinic he visited was the one where Tamara got her supplies that morning. He introduced himself to Judy and asked to meet the doctor and was shown into a small office. So far, his searches hadn't turned up anything, no one matching Clint's description had been to any of the clinics he visited. He was surprised when he saw a very old friend enter the room.

"Bruce, never thought I'd see you again. I heard what happened to you and that the military was hunting you, now you're a national hero."

"Jake, wow, small world, how did you end up here, thought you planned to work in the best hospital you could find after med school."

"I realized that fancy hospitals didn't mean anything. I wanted to help people who needed me, I work in a local practice 3 days a week and run this clinic the rest of the week. My partners both spend 1 day a week here as well. Most the people we treat here are runaways, we try to help them either get home or get to a safe place to live. What are you doing out slumming now that you're a big shot?"

"Actually, I'm looking for a friend. he's not from around here but he got hurt last night. The only thing I can tell you is that police found blood that matches his DNA."

"What is he, a soldier or something? Why would his DNA be on record? I know you don't get involved with criminals."

"Or something, look he's a very good friend and I'm worried. I should have heard from him yesterday and he's disappeared without a trace." Bruce handed the doctor a photo of him and Clint. "If he comes in, give me a call at this number. Look, you need anything here? I've got friends who can help."

"Know any good pro-Bono attorneys? Seriously, I've got a couple runaways that need to be off the streets but social services just sends them back to the hell hole they came from. They're good kids but the system is gonna kill them."

"Actually, I might be able to help. Get me whatever info you can and if the kids check out, I'll see what I can do. I have some friends who hate to see kids hurt."

Bruce left the clinic and headed towards the park where he was to meet Tasha and Steve. Jake watched him leave the clinic and wondered if the man Tamara had found was Bruce's friend. He studied the photo and decided to try contacting Tamara at the park after the clinic closed. Turning the photo over, he saw a number written on the back. He shoved the photo into his pocket and went to see who was next in need of his care.

Tasha and Steve has spent several hours wandering the streets, showing Clint's picture around shop with no success. He never even made it to the shop he had come to the area to visit. When his watch beeped, Steve realized it was almost time to meet Bruce at the park. He found a small Chinese restaurant and he and Tasha ordered lunch, then carried it across the street to the park. Steve watched as an old man with a dog curled at his feet sniffed the air, then tapped a girl seated beside him. He moved his fingers rapidly and Steve realized the man was deaf. the girl got up and took something from the man, then went to the same small restaurant. Steve watched as she returned a few minutes later and began to spread food out for the two of them. He saw her offer an egg roll to the dog and nudged Tasha, who smiled just a bit.

Bruce joined them and the three friends ate silently, before discussing what they had discovered. Tasha had checked out the alley and found a couple of knives the police had missed. One was Clint's and she had tucked it into her pocket. The other was a cheap knife but it too was covered in blood. Tasha had wrapped in in a cloth and tucked it away as well. They would check it later for prints and Steve hoped the blood on it wasn't from Clint.

After they finished eating, they decided to do a bit more scouting. Bruce suggested they talk to people in the park, he knew that street people saw a lot, even if they never told anyone. Steve had been watching the girl as she sketched and he took the opportunity to check out her work. He was looking through her sketches of the everglades when the man tapped her and began to sign quickly. The girl looked up at him with a shocked expression and then began to sign back. Tasha joined him and then began to laugh. Steve wondered what was funny and was surprised when both the man and the girl stopped signing.

"What's so funny Tasha?"

"The man recognized you Steve, but she doesn't believe him. She's arguing with him that no hero would show up in their little park and admire her artwork."

The girl looked up with a surprised expression. "That's not what I meant. But he can't really be Captain America, why would he even be in Miami, much less this part of the city?"

"Trust me, he is Captain America, but keep it quiet, please. He also happens to enjoy sketching and your art caught his eye. You do very good work, very lifelike."

"Thanks, most people don't see the beauty of the glades and I try to show it to them."

The man began to sign furiously at Tasha once he realized she understood him. She glanced at Steve and reached into her pocket, pulling out a picture. "Your friend Michael here says you have an excellent memory. We're looking for someone, have you seen this man?"

Tasha had to carefully hide her reactions, it was the man she had saved the night before. "Why, is he a criminal or something?"

"No, he's a good friend and we think he's in trouble. I'll be honest with you kid, the police found his blood last night but no sign of him. We just want to find him and take him home."

Tasha was unsure about what to do, she knew the man before her was famous and everyone said he was a good guy but she had trusted people before and only gotten hurt. "I saw him yesterday, he was browsing the shops. He looked fine then."

Tamara felt the phone the doc had given her begin to vibrate. She reached into her pocket and slipped it out. She walked away from the small group and glanced at the phone to see she had a message. Opening the message, she saw a picture, the young man and another man, laughing together at something. Tasha saw the girl tense and realized she knew more than she was saying. "Look, I gotta go, I need to meet with doc so he can go to the bank for me." The girl took out a single picture of a Florida panther and handed it to Steve. "This is something most people never get the privilege to see, the real beauty with the glades." Then she turned and walked away.

Tasha looked at the sketch and realized the girl had to be very close in order to get such realism, it almost looked as though the panther would climb off the sketch to stand in front of them. Michael looked at the sketch and tapped Tasha, then began to sign. Tasha watched and then signed something back. She turned away and began to walk off in the direction the girl had gone.

"Wait Tasha, what did he say to you?"

"That sketch, the girl raised that panther from a baby, that's why it's so lifelike. He said the cat's name is Amber and the girl is Tamara, she tends to the other runaways around here. He said if she found our friend, he's safe and in good hands. I've got a hunch she did find Clint but I don't know why she won't trust us, so I'm gonna follow her."

Steve headed back towards the motel, while Tasha followed the girl. She watched at the girl visited a small clinic and took a small package from the doctor before he left. Tasha began to follow her again and was surprised when she lost sight of her in a crowd. She then realized the girl had known she was being followed and allowed it, until she didn't want to be followed any longer. Sighing, she turned to head back towards the motel and her friends.

When she returned to the motel, she wasn't surprised to see that Bruce and Steve had returned before her. Tony was on the phone with Pepper and they were discussing how to sneak Thor into the motel. Thor still preferred his Asgardian clothing but Pepper was doing her best to convince him to wear something more human. Tasha got fed up with the disagreement and finally told Thor to either dress like a human or he'd sit in the motel with Tony. Steve went down to the beach to meet Thor and Tony ordered supper while they waited. Once Thor arrived, they sat down to eat, silently agreeing to wait on discussing Clint.

Once supper was done, Bruce simply stated that none of the clinics he'd visited had seen Clint but each had a picture of him with Clint and a phone number to call if Clint showed up. Tony simply confirmed that the police had nothing new but JARVIS was busy running the unknown knife Tasha had found to see if any prints could be traced. Two sets of prints were found on the second knife, along with two different traces of blood. Some of the blood matched Clint's and that had Tasha worried. The second trace of blood matched one set of fingerprints, which turned out to be one of the dead men. The second set of prints matched those found at the scene of several unknown gang attacks, all of which appeared to be self-defense. Tony began to look over the reports and found a common thread, each attack was in defense of a child and the child flat out refused to say who was responsible. The police had begun to refer to the unknown attacker as "the shadow" based upon statements that the person came out of shadows, attacked and freed the child, then left the child to be recovered at any of the local hospitals. Four gang members had been killed and several more had been treated for injuries, each time the gang member turned informant, saying that the shadow could have killed them but gave them a chance. Only once had police seen anything, and that was a fight 3 years earlier between 2 gang members and an unknown party. The unknown party had several opportunities to kill the gang members and instead continued to fight until the gang members were subdued, although not without injury. Blood was found at the scene and DNA typing revealed it to be female, after that, his superior officers refused to believe the unknown person was anything more than another victim.

Steve began to show the areas he had covered with Tasha and reluctantly stated that no one admitted to knowing where Clint was. Tasha said that several people had seen Clint the previous day but no one admitted to seeing him after that. "The closest we have is a guy in the park. There was an artist there, young girl. This guy Michael, he said if she found Clint he was safe and well cared for. When she left the park, I followed her to a clinic a couple blocks away. She met the doctor outside and got a package, then left. I hate to say it but she lost me, she knew I was following her and allowed it, until she didn't want to be followed anymore. I think she knows where Clint is."

"Wait, seriously Tasha, some girl managed to lose you?"

"Yeah Tony, she ducked into a large crowd and managed to lose me. I underestimated her but I won't do it again. And she knows who Steve is. The guy that was with her at the park, he's deaf, I watched them signing and he recognized Steve but she refused to believe him."

"Which clinic Tasha, maybe I can get something out of the doctor. If not, I'm sure Tony can with a generous donation. Most the clinics I visited today care for the street people and runaways."

"The sign outside read Safe Haven Clinic. The doctor was an older gentleman, I'm guessing late 40s or so."

Bruce smiled slightly, "Actually he looks good for his age, he's older than me. We met in college, I was straight out of high school and he had been a medic in the army. When he got out, he decided he wanted to be a doctor, we were roommates for 6 years in med school. I lost touch after my accident so I was surprised to see him again. I'll see what information I can get from him tomorrow. I didn't get an address or number from him but I gave him a number to contact me."

Everyone settled in for the night but Tony wasn't the only one who noticed that Tasha stayed up. Everyone was worried about Clint but no one was more worried than Tasha. He was the closest thing she had to a family, more like a brother than a friend. Tony started to go to her but stopped when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"I will stay with her, she is a warrior but even warriors can be concerned for another."

Tony watched as Thor sat in a chair near Tasha. He didn't speak but just sat quietly. After a few minutes, Tasha relaxed in her chair and as Tony and Thor watched, she finally drifted off to sleep. She was the first one up the next morning as well. She paced restlessly while she waited for Bruce to get up and eat, finally, just when she thought she would go crazy with waiting, Bruce was ready to leave.


	3. The Clinic

"Sorry, but we will still be there a few minutes before he opens the clinic. No sense in drawing attention to ourselves by standing around outside, trust me."

Tasha didn't say anything but Bruce could see her relax just a little. It didn't take long to reach the clinic and both were surprised to see it was already crowded, even though the sign still said closed. When the door opened, several nervous young people crowded closer to a young woman. Jake was nowhere in sight but his nurse Judy was returning to the room with a box of medical supplies.

"What happened, anything we can do to help?"

"Not really, times like these I wish Jake would let the others in on what these kids are doing. I wish we could send them to the hospital but we can't."

"Why can't they go to the hospital? Jake's not involved in anything bad is he?"

"Bruce, that girl's bleeding pretty bad, where's the doc at?"

Judy looked up at the woman surprised by her statement. "He's busy trying to keep her brother from bleeding out. Anna's not hurting too bad but her stitches will have to wait. Doc made sure she got some painkillers first."

Bruce headed towards the rooms in the back but stopped when two young muscled guys blocked his way. "Nothing to see back there old man. Doc's safe."

"Look, tell him Bruce is here and I'll help if I can but I don't want to stay, no, I can't stay in here with this kind of anger."

"Relax Bruce, remember, we're here to try to find Clint, just don't get angry."

One of the young toughs reached out and started to poke Bruce but Tasha grabbed his hand before he could touch him. "Trust me kid, you won't like him when he's angry. What happened to all of you anyways?" Tasha had noticed that most of the group sported visible injuries while the way others were standing told of bruises not visible under clothing.

A tired voice came from behind them "The Dragons is what happened. They tried to snatch a couple young runaways and the Rebels here had a problem with that." The man behind the voice came into view and gently reached out and grabbed Bruce's arm, pulling him away from the crowd of tense angry youngsters. "Bruce wait in my office, it'll be quiet in there. I just have a couple more kids to stitch up, then I'll be free." He turned to a young man standing away from the other, "Kevin, it's not your fault. None of you knew they'd started carrying guns. But those kids are safe and nobody died. Ryan will be fine in a few weeks, now, let me get Anna stitched up, then I want you to take everyone to a safe house for a few days. Laura can make phone calls so no one gets worried."

The young man nodded and headed out the door while a couple girls helped another to her feet. Two more boys pushed wheelchairs towards the back only to return with a boy and girl. The boy had a bandage over his thigh and the girl had a cast over her arm and a bandage on her forehead. Tasha and Bruce both wondered what they had walked into but they headed for the office anyways. A short time later, the doctor finally walked into the room.

"Sorry Bruce, if it'd been anyone but you, I wouldn't have said a thing. No, I'm not involved with anything bad. The Rebels, that pack of kids you saw, they do their best to protect all the kids around here. But now the gangs are resorting to guns. These kids refuse to let the gangs win so I do whatever I can to help them. Soldier first, remember?"

Bruce sat quietly and watched his friend pace. Tasha was standing across the room and Bruce saw her looking at a series of pictures, trying to act invisible, trying to give them some privacy.

"Look Bruce, I never should have let you get exposed to all that, I know you need to keep your cool. Don't worry about the kids causing trouble, I made sure Kevin knew you were with me and not to be bothered. They won't cause trouble, not for anyone I call a friend. Now, what is so important that you come out here to see me, you could've just called?"

"Jake, you know that photo I gave you? That guy, he's a friend, a good friend. You had a visitor last night, a girl, she took a package and disappeared. We think she knows where he is. A guy in the park said if she found him, he's safe and cared for but it's not safe, she's not safe. There are people who would hurt her to get to him."

"You mean like that General? Yeah, he's been here a couple times, told him he could go kiss my ass. His kind doesn't scare me. He thought he could scare me by telling me what happened, he didn't know I already knew. He tried to convince me you were a monster but I know better. Bruce, you saved my life, no matter what you look like, I'll always trust you."

Bruce was surprised by the statement, but more surprised by how it made him feel. He knew the team trusted him, but none of them were normal. Jake was just an ordinary man, lucky enough to be a doctor, but he trusted him. Natasha was surprised by the doctor's statements, she thought he'd be like everyone else, afraid of what Bruce could do if he got angry. But none of that mattered, they were here to find Clint.

"Jake, you don't know what it means to hear you say you trust me, but that's not important right now. The General isn't important either. Look, we've gotta find our friend, especially if he's hurt."

Jake sighed, "The girl's name is Tamara, yesterday she told me she had taken someone home with her. He was hurt and she put 24 stitches in him over 5 places. Said he was unconscious, so I gave her some more med supplies. Last night she picked up more food, she doesn't keep much around, just enough for her and Amber, she doesn't like Amber hunting. But I can't tell you where she is, not won't but can't. Nobody knows where she holes up at, all I can tell you is she lives in the glades, she can't exactly bring Amber into the city."

"How do we find her then?"

"Wait for her to show up at the park or here, she'll call me if she needs help with him. She's willing to bring me to her place if he gets worse."

"Let me have the phone number, I've got a friend who can trace it, track down the location."

"I doubt it, she won't turn it on unless she needs help, she's not exactly the trusting kind."

"What's her story, can she be trusted?"

"I knew her uncle, Chris, he was a cop in New York. When 9/11 happened, he went to the towers to help, he got hurt bad trying to help dig people out, they brought him to the hospital barely holding on, before he died, he asked me to tell his brother in person, not to let the department do it. Tamara was only 5 when I met her. After the attack, I couldn't go back, didn't want to see what was left of the city, so I moved here. Her dad was a firefighter, her mom a teacher. Her dad died in a fire when she was 8, by that time I was more uncle than friend. So I spent time with her, made sure she got to continue her lessons. Shortly before her 10th birthday, her mom was killed in a car-jacking on her way to pick her up after lessons. She stayed with me until her grandmother moved in. She recently been widowed and it had been planned for her to move in with Susan and Tamara but while John was still alive, she had been determined he would die in his own home. Unfortunately, Marie had a heart attack 3 months later. Tamara was sent to foster care and I fought to get custody but since I wasn't really family, I was turned down. Seems the social worker thought there was something funny about a single man my age wanting custody of a troubled pre-teen. She didn't care that Tamara is the closest thing I'll ever have to a daughter of my own. I tried to explain that family isn't always about blood but she didn't care. Three weeks later I wanted to kill her, I settled for taking her job and making sure she'd never work with kids again. She put Tamara in a home where 3 girls had already claimed the father was molesting them. Tamara almost killed him and the social worker wanted Tamara locked up. Tamara came to me when she ran away, she was beaten and bloody and it took me hours to get her calmed down enough to stitch her up and tend her broken arm. She hid out at the dojo for a couple weeks, then disappeared into the swamp to live. A month later, she was sneaking into the clinic asking me to help her get supplies, mostly milk. I never asked why until 6 months later when she showed up one night with a half grown cougar. Then 8 months ago, after the attack on New York, she got a bunch of the other runaways together and they started fighting back against the gangs."

Tasha was quiet throughout the doctor's story. "Why would the attack on New York make her start fighting back? What made it so special?"

"She found out that Captain America was back, we had a long talk about it before she told me what she intended to do. I tried to talk her out of it but she is no different than her uncle. I knew the story behind their family, why Chris became a cop and Sean became a firefighter. They owed their lives, indirectly, to Captain America and grew up hearing how he had saved their dad from HYDRA. John even told me the whole story once, how he was being held prisoner in a HYDRA facility along with a few other prisoners. Once day he slipped up and HYDRA found out about his gift, he was moved after that and they began to experiment. Every night be prayed he wouldn't wake up again until one night the building began to rock with explosions. Captain America and the Commandos had found the facility and destroyed it but they rescued all the prisoners. He lost his left arm and was sent home, thinking Marie wouldn't want him any longer, but she set him straight. She finally convinced him that she still loved him, so why should missing an arm make any difference. When they realized the boys were different too, they made sure they understood that nobody could know about them. But they still felt they owed a debt to Captain America for saving their dad, since he wasn't around, they did the next best thing and used their gifts to help regular people."

By now Bruce was very interested but he could tell Tasha was getting restless. "What kinds of gifts did the boys have?"

"Sean had an affinity for fire, didn't matter what it was doing, he always knew how it was going to spread or move. Chris was killed when a wall fell on him, he could have left the kid he found buried, instead he used his own body to protect the kid. I know his gift was useful as a cop but he never said exactly what it was. John never did tell me what his gift was and I never saw him do anything unusual."

"What about the girl? Is she a threat?"

"No, it's not my place to say anything but she won't hurt him. She wouldn't have taken him home if she didn't want to protect him. She could have taken him to the hospital but she said he killed a man and she was afraid he would end up in jail."

"There were two people killed, if Clint only killed one, then who killed the other?"

"Tamara did."

Tasha's phone rang, looking at it she saw it was Steve and she knew that he had gone with Thor back to the park to watch for the girl. "She there?"

"No and neither is that deaf guy. I asked around and the guy at the restaurant from yesterday said he ducked out earlier. Something about hiding from Dragons, whatever that means. There's a lot of rough looking guys all over and several shops have closed."

Tasha turned to Bruce and Jake, "Steve said the deaf guy left earlier, something about hiding from Dragons."

Jake paled, "Oh no, they figured out who she is. They'll kill her if they find her, I gotta call Kevin, maybe he knows where she's hiding." He picked up his phone and waited then began to speak rapidly, "Kevin, the Dragons are looking for Tamara, they found out who she is. Do you know where in the swamp she's hiding?" Even Bruce could tell the answer was not good. "Kevin doesn't know how to reach her, usually she just shows up when they need her help but last night she didn't. He says that's why the Dragons got the drop on them, they didn't have their spook along, watching over them. He also said a lot of Dragons and guys from other gangs have been seen heading into the swamp. All I can do is pray she calls."

Tasha picked her phone back up, "Steve, that girl from yesterday is in trouble and she has Clint. The doc here says several gangs are going in the swamp looking for her, we gotta find them first." She turned towards Jake, "Any idea where to start looking?"

Jake sat at his desk and opened a drawer, pulling out a map. "I can show you the places I meet her outside the swamp but that might not mean anything." He began to mark several locations and then handed the map to Bruce.

Bruce took out his phone and quickly called Tony. "Tony, look, that artist Tasha and Steve met yesterday may have Clint. The doc here says she took an injured man home to keep him safe but there's a problem. Apparently, she's pissed off a few local gangs. Somehow they found out who she is and they've gone in the swamp to hunt her down. Jake marked the spots he meets her at but he doesn't know where she calls home." Bruce was quiet for a minute then he held the phone over the map to get a good picture. "Tony wants to know how many people might be looking for her?"

"Well, if all the gangs that want her dead are involved, it could be a hundred or more. She's pissed off 5 different gangs now but some of them hate each other so it might not be that many looking. It just depends on how bad they want revenge. I know at least 3 will be looking, you don't kill people in them and get away with it."

Bruce relayed the info to Tony and he told them he would meet them at the swamp. Tasha headed out the door and Bruce gently took Jake's arm and led him out. "C'mon Jake, if we find them first we need someone she knows she can trust."


	4. Into the Swamp

It didn't take long for the trio to reach the entrance to the park. A large sign proclaimed "Everglades National Park" where they found Steve and Thor waiting. Tony showed up a few minutes later and opened the back of the SUV, pulling out a suitcase. "I thought everyone might like something familiar while we hunt. JARVIS is reporting several large groups throughout the park. Doc, you stay here in the SUV, don't open the doors for anyone but us and don't touch anything. JARVIS, whatcha got for me?"

"Sir, there are multiple groups of people moving throughout the park. I'm isolating them by size. Since the target is trying to hide her location, it should be limited to her and Mr. Barton. However, I am showing a large group of people converging on your location and they are armed with small caliber weapons."

Jake watched in shock as Tony activated the suit within the case. Tasha added her bracers and several other weapons while Steve changed and grabbed his shield. Thor summoned Mjölnir but Bruce just put his glasses in the SUV and took off his jacket, tossing it inside as well. Tony provided comms to everyone, knowing it was the easiest way to stay in touch. Jake sat back numbly as Bruce closed the door. "Lock it JARVIS."

Jake watched as the group split up and began to move out. He noticed a computer sitting open but he only glanced at it, he thought he had an idea of just who these people were and if they said "don't touch", he wouldn't argue. He saw a small group of gang members enter the clearing, recognizing them as members of the Bullets, a group known for holdups and robberies. One made the mistake of trying to shoot at Tony, now clad in the Iron Man suit and was promptly knocked out. The rest got smart when they saw the other Avengers and ran. Jake thought to himself that maybe these gang kids weren't so stupid after all.

After running into several more gang members and the kids deciding that these Avengers were real, the team was relieved when they heard JARVIS report. "Sir, I have narrowed the possibilities down to two locations. They are uploaded to your targeting system now. Unfortunately, they are several miles apart and deeper into the swamp."

Tony relayed the information to the rest of the team and they prepared to separate to check both locations. Bruce was still himself, he didn't want to Hulk out unless he had no choice. He knew Clint needed him there as Bruce, not the "Other Guy". They were suddenly interrupted by JARVIS.

"Sir, the phone number provided earlier is now active. I'm patching it into the comms now."

"Uncle Jake, shit, just listen, I need you to get to the dock at the south edge of alligator alley. Don't know how but the Dragons found me. Damn, this guy's heavy, he's sorta out but not up enough to be any help. I'm sorry for the trouble, but you might want to take a vacation for a few days. I don't want them coming after you to get to me."

The team heard gunshots and yelling. "Kill it, kill it." Then the girl's voice came back over the phone, only now she was crying. "They killed Amber, I gotta go, I'll try to call later once I get out of here." Then the comm went silent.

"Sir, I have tracked the signal. The location is about 2 miles from here. The phone is no longer active. I'm showing multiple targets with guns in the area."

Steve was the first to react. "Stark, get in the air and find them, we'll follow as fast as we can." Quickly the team raced off after Tony as he took off towards the coordinates JARVIS gave him. Steve was the first to reach the scene after Tony. Tony was searching for Clint but no sign of their missing friend was found. What he did find was a cougar, riddled with bullets, eyes glazed in death. A single bloody hand print was on a tree beside it. Steve burst into a small shack hidden in the underbrush, only to stop suddenly.

"Tony, little help here."

"What?"

"Snakes, lots of snakes, tell me these aren't poisonous."

Tony glanced at the snakes as JARVIS provided an answer. "Relax Spangles, they're not. JARVIS says those are scarlet king snakes, might hurt if they bite but nonvenomous. They look very similar to a venomous species though, she must have used them to keep people out. Smart girl."

By now the rest of the team had arrived and they began to spread out, looking for Clint. Tasha was the first to find any bodies. "Guys, got a couple bodies here, one looks like he was ripped up by something, the other has a knife in his throat." As the team searched they found 4 more bodies, these all had short darts in them but each one was alive. Bruce looked them over and confirmed they weren't injured beyond the darts. "She's using trank darts, like wildlife control uses. These guys will sleep for hours but we still need to find Clint."

Tasha was the one who found where the girl had hidden a boat. There was more blood on the ground, lots of blood. As the team spread out to search, JARVIS broke in suddenly. "Sir, there's someone near Dr. Banner, too large to be Mr. Barton."

The air rang with a gunshot and a yell from Bruce. Steve turned just in time to see Bruce begin to change. Thor swung his hammer and heard it hit something with a thunk. He dragged a man out of the brush, holding a gun in one hand. "This fool thought it wise to use friend Banner for target practice."

Tasha glared at him as from behind her, Hulk roared. "Maybe we should let the big guy play with him."

Meanwhile Tony was trying to calm Bruce, err Hulk down. "Easy big guy, don't break the swamp."

Steve stopped and turned around, he thought he heard something. Then he took off at a run through the trees, yelling over the comm. "I heard Clint, somewhere this way."

Tony found him first, he was in a flat-bottomed boat, partially hidden by overhanging tree branches. A young girl was collapsed over him and he had his hands wrapped around her. Tony started to say something snarky before he realized she was bleeding and Clint was trying to stop it.

"JARVIS, open communications to Director Fury."

"Done Sir"

"I need a med team at my coordinates ASAP. We found him, injured but alive. We also have a seriously injured civilian."

"Retrieval is 3 minutes out Stark, JARVIS has been keeping us updated, I have a live feed right now. We'll get her to a local hospital for treatment."

Steve broke in, "With all due respect Sir, she's hurt because of us. She found Clint and took care of him when he was injured. She's going with us, we owe her that much."

Even Nick Fury knew there were times it was not wise to argue with an Avenger. "I'll have a team retrieve the SUV and drop the good doctor off at his clinic. Fury out."

As the rest of the team arrived, they saw Tony talking to Clint. Tasha wondered why no one had moved the girl and then she saw the blood soaking through the girl's shirt and dripping down Clint's side. Bruce was back to himself and was kneeled down beside them. He was talking to Clint while Steve was looking at the girl and talking softly to her. Bruce looked up at Tasha, "He's fine, none of the blood's his, but we can't move her until the med team gets here."

Tasha slowly tuned into what Steve was saying to the girl.

"Don't worry, we've got a med team on the way, just don't move."

She wasn't prepared for the girl's response.

"Don't you get it, I can't. I can't move, I can't feel a damn thing. First they killed Amber and now this, I can't fix this, I can't fix me." As the girl began to cry, she buried her head in Clint's shoulder. Clint just held her and waited with the others. Finally they could hear a chopper overhead and a medic was by his side. Still laying facing him, the girl was quietly crying as she was strapped to a board and turned over. He watched as the medic injected her with something and she closed her eyes before she was loaded onto the chopper. When Clint looked at Tasha, she saw the guilt in his eyes.

"Don't, it's not your fault. You didn't shoot her Clint, you probably kept her from bleeding to death."


	5. The Carrier

The Carrier

Clint quietly stumbled to the chopper and climbed inside, followed by the rest of the team. When the chopper arrived back at the carrier, Clint followed the gurney carrying the girl into the infirmary and watched as doctors began to work on her. Finally, he let Tasha lead him away where another team of doctors waited to check him out. The doctors were surprised at how well he had been tended and remarked that his injures had healed much faster than expected. Clint had no answer for them but insisted they all occurred just 2 days earlier.

Hours later, Clint walked with Tasha to the conference room. When he entered the room, he wasn't surprised to see the rest of the team or Director Fury.

"Sit, I want to know how the hell one of my best men ends up injured and then rescued by a girl. What the hell happened out there, you were on vacation."

"It's a long story sir."

"We've got time, now sit. I'm sure the rest of your team would like to know as well, considering they ran off after you."

Clint fidgeted a minute, he had stitches in his side that were bothering him. "I was going to a small local shop, the desk clerk at the motel said they had nice handmade jewelry. I was almost there when I heard someone yelling. Two guys were trying to drag this girl into an alley. She couldn't have been more than 10 or 11. One of them slapped her and threw her to the ground. I saw three more guys come down the street, dragging young kids behind them, none of them looked older than 13. I heard one them talking about how the youngest would bring them the most money, I lost it Sir, I'm sorry but I couldn't let them drag those kids off to be sold or worse."

Tasha flinched and Clint stopped. He knew what Tasha had gone through with Red Room, even if no one else did.

"I pulled out my gun, ducked into the shadows and yelled at them to let the kids go. Not the smartest thing but the bad guys were just kids too, teens turned goons. One of them shot at me so I shot back. Two of them turned and ran but the third shoved the girl he was dragging into the street. Then he started shooting towards where I had been. I had gotten behind him and when he stopped to reload, I hit him, left him lying there. I caught one of them in the back with a knife, but the little girl he was dragging got away. I followed the others further down the alley, only to run into a lot more of them. There was a bunch more kids, some of them in plain black shirts that had ski masks on. I saw them grab the kids and started to follow until I realized they were trying to save the kids too."

"What made you so sure of that Hawk?"

"One of them got shot trying to protect a little boy. When he fell, he yelled at the others to get the kids out to safety and worry about him later. I also noticed they were all trying not to kill the other guys. So I kept going after the first group, couple of them got too close with knives. I was trying to keep anyone else from getting hurt. Last thing I remembered was seeing several go down with darts in their sides. The ones in the masks just stopped and stood still while the other guys started to run, yelling something about shadows. One guy pulled a gun and started to shoot the guy that was already down, I took him out with a knife. Then I felt something slam into the side of my head and heard someone yell."

Bruce handed Clint a glass of water and the team waited for him to finish. Fury was impatient but that was only because he hated to have a man get injured, for any reason, especially when he was supposed to be on vacation.

"Later I remember hearing someone talking to me. I felt gentle hands moving over me, then I felt tugging and I realized they were putting stitches in. My head hurt like hell and all I wanted to do was sleep. I woke up later and found myself staring at a very large cougar. That girl, the one from the boat, she came in and told me that the cat wouldn't hurt me. She told me we had to leave, that it wasn't safe any longer and she hoped I wasn't bothered by snakes. I tried to walk but couldn't manage to stay up very well so she shoved a stick at me and guided me towards that boat. The cat took off back towards the hut and then I heard screams and gunshots. When the girl came back, she was crying. She climbed in the boat and started to push off deeper into the swamp. Things were still kinda fuzzy at that point and I tried to get out of the boat. Bad idea, I heard gunshots and she was pushing us away from the gunfire. I heard more shots, she shoved me and then she was falling on top of me with a bullet through her back. Then I thought I heard Hulk so I started yelling for you guys."

Director Fury paced across the room, then turned towards the team. "So some girl, we know nothing about, managed to save your ass not once, but twice."

"Director, we do know a little about her, we got information from an old friend of mine. And yes, he can be trusted, I've known him since med school. And Tony's been digging up everything he can on her and her family. We know she's an orphan and that she ran away from her foster home when she was 12, she'll be 18 in a few months. Now, I'm going back to the infirmary so she isn't alone when she wakes up."

Bruce got up and walked out of the room. A few minutes later he heard the rest of the team behind him. He wasn't surprised when he got to the infirmary and found a guard on the girl. But it wasn't like she was going anywhere, not after the doctors had removed a bullet from her spine. Hell, she might not even walk again for that matter. And all because she cared enough to try to save a man she'd never met before. Silently he watched the machines as she slept. He heard the others come in the room and settle in to wait as well. For once, even Tony was quiet as they waited to get home.

Several hours later, Maria came in to let them know they were back over New York. A chopper was waiting to take the team back to Stark tower. Steve looked at the girl lying in the hospital bed, she looked so fragile and helpless. The team owed her a debt so he made a quick decision. He turned to the nurse on duty, "Get her ready to move, she's going with us." He wasn't surprised when Director Fury walked into the room.

"You want to tell me why you just ordered the medical staff to release that girl to you?"

"Director, no offense, but it's for the best. She's been unconscious since she got here so she knows nothing about the carrier. If we take her with us, she still won't know anything about SHIELD. Besides, the team owes her. She may never walk again, the least we can do is take care of her until she's legally an adult and can't be forced back into foster care. Besides, she saw Tasha and I already at the park when we were looking for Clint so maybe it won't be weird to wake up with us around."

"Are you all sure about this? We can keep her sedated until we find a safe place for her. She never has to know about all this." Fury carefully studied every member of the team, he noticed they had all moved closer to the girl, as if to protect her from him. He might be a lot of things, but he'd never hurt a kid, especially one that was injured and unconscious. Just what kind of man did they think he was, sure he was tough on them, but they were adults. "Fine, she's your responsibility, just be sure that she finishes her education at least." Then he turned and left the room.


	6. The Tower

The Tower

The girl was gently moved to a gurney and then to the chopper by medical staff. Bruce was given a thin file with her medical notes just before he boarded the chopper himself. A few minutes later the team was on board a chopper landing at Stark tower. Pepper was waiting with Happy and an older man. The girl's gurney was removed from the chopper and Happy began to push her inside. Tony spoke softly to the older man and motioned Bruce over. After a short conversation, Bruce handed the girl's file to him and he followed Happy into the tower. Once inside the tower, Happy moved the girl to a bedroom Pepper had prepared for her.

The team all headed off to their own rooms, except for Clint. He left his bags in his room and then entered the vents. He needed to be alone, needed to think. For several hours, Tamara slept as Clint watched her from a vent in her room. It was hard to believe she had ever fought anyone, much less killed someone. She looked so small and vulnerable lying there asleep but Clint knew from experience that looks were deceiving. Bruce came in a couple times to check on her but mostly they let JARVIS monitor her. She had seen part of the team before the medics had stabilized and sedated her, but no one else. For now, it was agreed that she would be kept isolated, at least until they could find out more about her. Everyone agreed they owed her a debt, but that didn't mean they weren't being cautious either. Clint couldn't get the picture of that girl, no Tamara he reminded himself, her name is Tamara, falling against him as the bullet impacted into her back. He saw the shock and pain in her eyes. JARVIS registered the increase in his heart rate and respirations.

"Sir, are you in need of assistance?"

"No JARVIS, I just need time to think. I keep seeing it over and over. Her dragging me to that boat and then getting shot. It's my fault she's hurt, hell she may never walk again."

"Sir, if I may offer some assistance. From what information I have collected, Miss Tamara has been involved as a vigilante of sorts for several years, despite her young age. I have located news articles detailing the activities of a group of people fighting back against the gangs in that area. The activities were very scattered for years but began to escalate after the invasion of the Chitauri. The police have not been able to link her to any of the activities but I have discovered patterns. Most of the activities I believe she led were intended to rescue other runaway children from the gangs. She may appear to be just a child but the information I have been collected suggests she is no more a child than Miss Romanoff was at her age. I believe she knew what she was doing when she took you back to her place and when she fled with you. It is not your fault she was shot."

"That doesn't make it any easier JARVIS."

"The others are preparing supper sir, will you be joining them, Captain Rogers asked me to locate you."

"Yeah tell him I'll be there in a few."

"Yes Sir, but I am monitoring her, as requested. She will not be alone when she awakes."

Clint slipped through the air vents towards the dining room. No one even blinked when he dropped down from the ceiling to join them. Tony had ordered in Chinese and the team was dividing the cartons among themselves. Tasha pushed a carton towards him and he picked it up, eating as he paced the room. No one was talking to him but he could feel them all watching.

"Sir, the girl's vitals indicate she is waking up. Might I suggest that Mr. Barton or Captain Rogers be the one to greet her when she wakes. She has already seen them so it might reassure her some. Meeting some of you might come as a bit of a shock to her."

"Good idea JARVIS. How long before she is fully awake?"

"Within the next 15 minutes at her current progress. She will most likely be hungry as well, perhaps some juice for now?"

Steve watched as Clint stalked to the refrigerator and poured a glass of juice. Without speaking to anyone else, he left the room.

"JARVIS, I want her room on a feed in the conference room. For now, don't let her know you exist, we'll provide her with a computer but she doesn't need to know about you."

"Yes Sir, Mr. Barton has thought of that already, he slipped an earpiece in before he entered her room. She is awake now but is pretending she is not. Do you wish me to record?"

Tony headed for the conference room and the others followed, everyone was curious about this girl, maybe not for the same reasons though. When the team reached the conference room, they could see that JARVIS had a video feed from the girl's room. Clint was seated in a chair, just watching her, while she pretended to still be asleep.

"You might as well open your eyes, I know you're awake. You're safe here, you don't have to worry about being sent back to the foster home."

Tamara slowly opened her eyes and studied Clint. "You look better now that you're awake. Where am I? I know this isn't a hospital."

"What makes you so sure of that?"

"The bed is too comfortable, the quality of the sheets are too good. This is real wood furniture, not cheap press-board."

"You're right, this isn't a hospital, this is where I live. My friends are taking care care of you. Do you remember what happened?"

"Yeah, Amber's gone, that's all that matters. When can I leave?"

"When the doctor releases you, not before. Look, I just want to say I'm sorry. It's my fault you're lying there now."

"You don't know what you're saying, I knew exactly what I was doing. Granted I didn't stop to think where the bullet would end up, but I knew it was either you or me. I made the right choice, I just want to be alone, please."

"Can I get you anything, a book or something? There's a laptop on the table, you're free to use it, you can even contact the doctor at the clinic back in Miami. He knows we brought you here, he's worried about you."

"I just want to be alone, I need to think. I need to figure out where this new path leads, where I go from here."

"We have an intercom here so if you need anything, just holler. I'm Clint, you can meet the rest of the group later. Doesn't matter how late it is, some of us are very light sleepers. Maybe you'll feel more like company in the morning."

Clint watched as Tamara reached over and grabbed the laptop. "Stark tech, someone has a lot of money. At least you know to get the best stuff." Clint tried not to laugh, if she was impressed at having Stark tech to use, imagine how she'd react to finding out she was in Tony's house. Tamara ignored Clint as he left the room, she was too busy trying to figure out what to tell Jake. Finally, she decided to send him a simple email reassuring him she was fine, no need for him to know about her back, she could tell him later if she had to. She sent a shorter email to Judy as well. She had no idea she was being monitored but since nothing of concern was in either email, JARVIS allowed them to send and kept the contents private.

"She just sent off two emails, neither disclosed anything of concern, simply reassuring the doctor in Miami that she is safe. However, she did not mention the injury to her back."

"Thanks JARVIS."

The team settled in to watch a movie before finally heading to bed. As usual, Steve slept very little, with his enhanced metabolism, he didn't need long periods of sleep. He was seated in the living room, quietly sketching when he was interrupted by JARVIS.

"Sir, Miss Tamara is experiencing some distress from a nightmare. I believe it wise to try to wake her."

"Thanks JARVIS."

Steve wasn't sure what help he could be but he knew from his own experiences with nightmares that waking up was the best thing. He seldom remembered his own nightmares but knew he was unable to sleep after them. He quietly entered the room and found Tamara struggling, as though she were fighting. Steve had JARVIS turn the lights on, not much, but enough so she would be able to see when she woke.

"Tamara, wake up, you're safe." As he spoke to her, he gently shook her. Finally he was rewarded when she ceased to struggle, instead she began to cry softly. Steve never was comfortable with crying women but he gently eased Tamara into a sitting position and hugged her. She cried for several minutes and then slowly, began to regain control of her emotions.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake anyone."

"You didn't wake me, I couldn't sleep so I was just sketching. Are you OK?"

"Yes, no, I just want my life back, I want my family back. The noises here are wrong, I miss the night sounds and the stars."

"Well, I can help with the stars, how about I take you out to the deck where you can see the stars?" Steve picked her up and carried her outside, settling her into a lounge chair. Steve left her sitting there as he went inside. When he returned he had two glasses of juice. He handed one to her and drank the other himself. When she was finished he returned the glasses to the kitchen and brought his sketch pad back outside with him. He returned to work on his sketching as Tamara studied the stars.


	7. History Lesson

History Lesson

"I want to say thank you, Colonel Rogers. Granddaddy John, my great-grandfather, never got that chance so I want, no I need to say it for him."

Steve started to deny he needed thanks when he realized she called him Colonel. He was too surprised to say anything else for several minutes. "Why would you need to thank me? Until the other day, I'd never seen you before in my life."

"You're right Colonel, but you saved my great-grandfather during the war. I know the papers are saying that you are the grandson of the original Captain America but I know that's not true, you are him. And it is only because of you that my great-grandfather was free to marry my great-grandmother, you saved him from HYDRA."

"I don't know what you're talking about. How could I be the original Captain America and still be this young?" Steve was trying desperately to think of a way to sidetrack Tamara and was relieved to hear someone else up and moving around. Maybe with help, she could be distracted from her present train of thought. He looked back to the door and saw Bruce watching them. After a moment, Bruce joined them outside on the deck under the stars.

Tamara studied Bruce for several minutes. "Bruce Banner, right? I'm not positive but you don't look that different than the pictures I've seen, just a few more years on you. Jake has several pictures of the two of you, I'm the only one who has seen them though. He misses you, said he wished he was smart enough to help you but he's just a simple doctor, not a scientist like you."

Bruce and Steve both tried to hide the surprise they felt at her statement. Steve heard JARVIS quietly say he was recording the entire conversation. Tamara turned back to studying the stars and was quiet for several minutes, then she began to speak again.

"Guess it's not a good idea to drop bombs like that on you, huh? I figure by now you know a lot about me, especially you, Dr. Banner. My whole life I was raised to be honorable and I only know one way to show you that your secrets are safe with me." She was quiet for several more minutes. "I'll tell you some of mine, there are things about me and my family that aren't in any book or computer, things my grandfather taught us to keep hidden. And it's all because of HYDRA."

"What do you mean?" Steve didn't know how someone so young could know anything about HYDRA, he found that history books did not mention that facet of the war at all.

"Colonel, back in 1944, you led a raid on a HYDRA facility in Austria. My great-grandfather was being held captive there, along with about 20 other men. All of these men had been transferred there from other camps, other facilities, and they all had one thing in common, they were Rom."

"Wait, what are Rom?"

"Rom is what we call ourselves, the world calls us gypsies. There was only one group of people that Hitler hated more than the Jews, and that was the Rom. It is because of Hitler that my people went into hiding. My great-great-grandparents left Germany in 1922 and fled to the US, my great-grandfather was born here in 1924. When he turned 18, he joined the Army, despite his mother's wishes. Once he told her why he joined though, she relented and gave him her blessing. In 1943, he finished boot camp and was shipped out to France, early in 1944, he was captured by German troops. He was in a camp when several men came through, they all wore masks and had a weird symbol on their uniforms. Grandaddy John was turned over to these men and removed from that camp, along with a few other prisoners. That was when he was moved to the facility where you rescued him. HYDRA was experimenting on the Rom, somehow they found out about my grandfather's gift. All the Rom there had gifts, Grandaddy John never thought much about his gift but the scientists at the facility experimented anyways. Some of the men died from the experiments, others went crazy, my grandfather was lucky, he just got a little stronger."

Bruce was the first to speak, "What do you mean, they had gifts? What kinds of experiments?"

"My great-grandfather was an empath, emotions only. The scientists gave him repeated injections of something, the only result was he got just a little bit stronger." Tamara looked closely at Steve. "The day you saved him, he found out that the scientists were through with him, their boss wasn't happy with his results and it had been decided he would be executed, so you saved his life. He was returned to an ally camp, along with the other survivors. However, the injections he was given caused gangrene and his left arm had to be amputated. He was shipped home shortly after that and he married my great-grandmother. Then in 1945, you disappeared, people said you were dead but he always said you weren't, that you would return when the world needed you again."

Both men were quiet and Tamara got nervous. The only other person who knew about her family until now was Jake and he was almost family. Bruce got up and went back inside, he returned a few minutes later with a light blanket that he handed to Tamara. He noticed that she didn't seem the least bit afraid of him, even though she apparently knew about his other side. Steve wasn't sure what to think of the story Tamara had told him. He didn't notice that Bruce had also brought out a Stark pad, until Bruce walked over and handed it to him. He looked down at the pad, then he began to read the screen. He turned back towards the doorway where he could see Tony standing there quietly, it didn't look like he'd been asleep either. Tony tapped the pad he held and Steve looked back down at the one he was holding to see a message from Tony. _Get her to talk more, find out her great-grandfather's name, JARVIS is digging through old military records now but we can see if her story matches official or unofficial records._ Steve sighed, getting people to talk wasn't easy for him, but he had to admit, now he was more curious about her great-grandfather.

"So what was his name?"

"John Crisco, he was in the 20th engineers out of Fort Bragg, NC."

Steve glanced at the pad again and saw that Tony had pulled up his service record. According to it, Tamara's great-grandfather had been awarded the Bronze Star, more than once, for his actions in battles. The information displayed was not just the official records either, he saw that some of the information was classified and he had to smile at that, trust Tony not to let a little security keep him from getting the information he wanted.

"So what did he do after the war?"

"He had a farm, raised a son who ran a gas station, and he raised 2 boys. My uncle became a cop and moved to New York, he died right after 9/11. My dad became a firefighter, he died a few years ago in a building collapse."

"So how did you learn to fight? You don't see many girls that can fight like you."

"My uncle and dad both got me interested in martial arts, there was a dojo near our house, I did pretty well in tournaments too. My mom didn't want me to be a tomboy so the deal was I could do the martial arts as long as I did either dance or gymnastics too, so I picked gymnastics. Long story short, I'm the only one left in my family now. Jake was the closest I had to family but I wasn't allowed to stay with him after my grandmother died, so I hid out in the swamp. It hurt losing my family, but I survived, just a little more messed up than most people. Will anyone care if I sleep out here?"

"No, but I can take you back to your room if you want."

"No, I'd rather stay out here with the stars. I like to think that my family is up there somewhere watching over me." Tamara shifted in the chair and pulled the blanket tighter around herself. Steve watched her for several minutes, as her eyes closed, she began to relax and her breathing slowed down until she was asleep. Steve quietly went back inside where he sat and watched over her until the sun rose.

A/N - Noticed I've gotten lots of views but no reviews. Any opinions on this story, it's my first Avengers story. Tamara is a character I created for a creative writing exercise over 15 yrs ago in college. I have more stories in progress with Tamara and more tidbits of my life are included, but Tamara is not me. I just like to use little quirks and habits to make characters more real.


	8. Tamara Meets the Team

Tamara Meets the Team

As the rest of the team got up the next morning, they made their way to the kitchen for breakfast. It wasn't unusual for Steve and Bruce to be up early but everyone was surprised to see that Tamara was in the kitchen as well. Bruce was seated at the table and Tamara was perched on a stool in front of the stove. Steve was nearby and any time she seemed off balance, he reached out to steady her. As Natasha watched them, she wondered what had happened the night before to make the others willing to accept Tamara so easily. She grabbed a cup of coffee and joined the others at the table. Thor was dressed in regular clothing when he entered the room, he joined the rest at the table as Clint set dishes down. Natasha was surprised at the variety of food already on the table but wasn't surprised when the men started to dig in. Tamara finished work at the stove and Steve helped her back down into a wheelchair, then she joined the rest. Everyone was quiet as they ate but Natasha could tell the girl was happy everyone was eating so well.

Tony was the first to speak up, "That was excellent, glad you let Steve talk you into cooking."

"Well, my grandmother and mother both loved to cook, guess it just comes natural. Besides, I can't do much else to help around here and I don't take charity. If I'm staying here, I help out, but I would like to go shopping, this kitchen lacks a lot I'm used to."

"My kitchen has everything a chef could need, what more could you possibly want?"

"Yeah, everything for fancy dishes, but when was the last time you had an old-fashioned home cooked meal, I mean comfort food, not something you'd pay a fortune for in a restaurant. Please, if I have to sit around and do nothing, it'll drive me crazy, I can't stand to do nothing."

"Fine, I'll have Happy take you out, one one condition."

"Name it."

"Someone goes with you, no offense but you're not used to this city and you can't exactly take care of yourself right now."

"Deal, when can I go?"

"Nowhere right now, you need to wait for Bruce or the doc to give the OK. You don't even have to leave the tower, the doc can come here."

"No offense but I'd rather Dr. Banner take care of me. Jake trusted him, even after his accident, that's enough for me. I don't like strange people messing with my body, not even docs."

"That's fine with me, I will need to draw some blood though, need to keep an eye on your white cell count. I'll put a new bandage over the stitches as well, you got lucky the bullet didn't actually hit your spine."

"Doesn't matter, even if I never walk again, it's better than the alternative."

Bruce was confused by her statement, along with the rest of the team. Natasha was the first to respond however. "What could be worse than being paralyzed?"

Tamara looked right at Clint and took a deep breath, "Knowing I let someone die." Then she pushed the wheelchair away from the table and left before anyone knew what to say. Surely she was mistaken, she couldn't know the outcome of the shot that hit her. Steve felt sorry for Tamara, he knew about guilt and how it affected people. For some reason, he felt an obligation to help her, to protect her. Maybe it was because of her great-grandfather, or maybe it was just because she risked herself for a member of his team. As Steve walked by Clint, he felt a hand on his arm. Looking down, he saw that Clint had reached out and grabbed him.

"Let me, I want to know what the hell she's talking about."

Clint left the dining room in time to see Tamara rolling the wheelchair out onto the deck, so he followed her. She didn't even turn around but she knew when he was there. "Guess you want me to explain, huh?"

"Yeah, I don't remember much but why do you think you getting shot was the better idea?"

"I'll show you if I can find something to hold onto, I need to stand up. Move over beside the table and pull out two chairs for me so I can hold myself up." Tamara rolled over to the table and after Clint pulled out the chairs, she pulled herself up so she was standing. "Now, sit down right in front of me, just like you were in the boat." Clint was confused but he did as she asked. "Now, reach behind me and feel where the bullet hit me. Don't you see, I pushed you because it was either I take it or you get it right in the skull. I won't have anyone else die for me or because of me, my sister was enough." Tamara dropped herself back into the wheelchair and pushed away from Clint who still sat on the ground, thinking about what she'd said. How she knew where the bullet could hit, he had no idea, but she was right, he'd be dead or a vegetable if the bullet had hit him instead.

Inside the living room, the rest of the team had listened as JARVIS relayed the conversation. Natasha felt her stomach drop when JARVIS confirmed that Clint most likely would be dead if Tamara hadn't pushed him and then ended up taking the bullet. She hated to think how close she'd come to losing the closest thing she had to a family, the one person she truly cared about. Clint came back inside and left before the others had a chance to say anything. Tasha figured he went to the target range or up in the vents, that's what he usually did when he needed to think. After several minutes, Bruce went out to the deck and brought Tamara back inside to escort her to the lab.

Once in his lab, Tamara sat quietly as he drew blood. He helped her lie face down on a table so he could check her stitches and replace the bandages. He was surprised to see several old scars across her back. She noticed when he got quiet and decided to reassure him slightly, she was used to how people reacted to the scars. "Don't worry about those old scars, I was in a wreck when I was seven. Those aren't even the worst ones I have from it, I had major damage to my right side. Ended up having my right lung replaced, along with my kidney. That's probably why I got my way so much growing up, my dad felt guilty over the choices that were made after the wreck. The doctors tried to tell my parents I wouldn't walk without a limp after the wreck, said the damage to my leg was too severe. That's when I started gymnastics and martial arts, I needed the flexibility from gymnastics and the strength training from martial arts, I started with tai-chi. Since I've grown, Jake is the only person who knows what all the physical scars look like."

Tamara was silent for several moments as Bruce cleaned around the wound on her back. Once he was done, she pulled her shirt back down and sat up. She watched as he cleaned up the lab, then they both went back upstairs. Tamara fidgeted while Bruce talked quietly to Tony, then got frustrated when Tony asked her to wait another day to venture out into the city.

"Fine, not like I can leave whenever I want. Last night I was told I could use the computer, that true?"

"Of course, I have protocols to prevent unauthorized access or release of sensitive data but there's plenty you can still access. It also has excellent voice recognition so you can just ask for whatever you want to research. You won't find a better system anywhere."

"Thanks, look, I had some stuff back in Florida I'd like to get sent here, any way I can get an address to have it shipped?"

"Have that doc friend of yours get it together and we'll arrange for it to be delivered. Not planning on bringing anything dangerous I hope?" Even though Tony wanted to help her, he was concerned about security first.

"Nothing dangerous, just memories I guess you could say. Jake has the family photo albums and some keepsakes of mine. Any chance I can get a sturdy table in my room, something to hold about 200 – 300 lbs? I have a project at Jake's place I'd like to bring here, give me something to do."

Tony thought for a moment before answering, "Yeah, but if you need more room we can set you up something in the tower, everybody else has their own space to get away, just make a list of what you need and it'll be taken care of. And the sooner you contact your friend, the sooner I can have your stuff here, tomorrow for sure if he gets it together by 6pm."

"Yeah, I'll go email him right now, you'll need to have a hand truck for a couple crates though. Some of the stuff would be very hard to replace. It's about 2 pickup loads, one crate is kinda bulky. I'm not worried about most the stuff from my shack, I can replace it easily. I'll let him keep the plants too, he'll know which ones I can easily replace. But if you don't mind, can I set up a place for my plants here too?"

Bruce was curious about why she was concerned about her plants but figured it was just a hobby. He offered to help her set something up, knowing Tony would more than likely give her a large room. "We can set you up something next to my lab. You can have some privacy that way, plus I'll be nearby if you need any help."

"Thanks, but I'll manage."

Tony knew pride and stubbornness when he saw it. "Tamara, there's no shame in getting help when you need it. Maybe you think it means you're weak but it doesn't. All of us here, we work together as a team because we've learned to trust and that all of us need help sometimes. Even me, as much as I can do alone when I have the suit, I still need help from my friends. Let us be your friends, let us help you, you have to trust someone again one day, why not us?"

Tamara looked at Tony and he tried to pretend he didn't see the tears brimming in her eyes. "Because everyone I get close to gets hurts. That's why I never moved in with Jake when he offered, not because of the system, but to protect him. I won't let anyone else die because of me, or for me." Tamara pushed herself away before Tony or Bruce could say anything else to her. Back in her room, Tamara sent a message to Jake, letting him know that someone would be coming to pick up her stuff. She asked him to send her seeds but that he could keep all the plants. He confirmed she was sure about getting rid of everything and told her he would arrange for the shelter nearby to get anything they could use. She gave him a list of people and items she wanted him to deliver, when he saw the list he became concerned, it was almost as though she were ending her life. His fears were relieved when she reassured him that she just was not going back to her old life, that she didn't need the weapons anymore. Even though she told him to get rid of everything, he refused to give away her grandfather's weapons, he knew she would want them again some day. She tried to be upbeat about her new life, talking about how they had arranged testing and internet schooling for her but he knew her too well, he knew the pain she was in, even if she didn't. He decided then that he would ask to go meet her in New York, just to make sure she was happy. If he couldn't get a ride, then he'd get a plane ticket himself. Then he left the clinic to pack up the few items she wanted to keep from her shack.


	9. Shopping Trip

The Shopping Trip

Tamara was up early the next day, eager to see New York for herself. When she joined the others for breakfast, she noticed that Steve and Thor were missing but she was glad to see Bruce. He agreed to accompany her to do some shopping but Happy was joining them as well. When Tony tried to offer her a card, she refused and informed him that she had more than enough to cover everything she wanted to buy. When Bruce took the card, she shot an angry look at Tony, only to feel slightly embarrassed when he pointed out that they were going grocery shopping as well. The weather had turned colder and before she could leave, Pepper returned with a coat, insisting it was just a loaner, until Tamara could get another. Finally, she and Bruce were on their way to meet Happy in the garage.

The first place Tamara wanted to visit was an art store, she had found the address for several and Happy headed for the closest one. Once inside, Tamara was off, browsing while Bruce waited by the register. He noticed the young clerk who offered to help Tamara treated her normally and only offered help in locating items. He also noticed the sketching supplies and decided to get more for Steve so had a clerk get together a good selection of sketching supplies. Once Tamara was done shopping, Happy loaded everything into the trunk and they moved onto the next store on her list.

The next store was clothing and Bruce tried to give her space to shop while still keeping an eye on her. He knew she was in pain, he could see it in her eyes and finally he insisted she allow him to do something about it. Reluctantly, she agreed, but only a very small amount, she didn't want her awareness dulled by anything. She spent almost two hours shopping for clothes, while trying on very little, but then again, she needed a whole new wardrobe. When Happy saw the amount she had purchased, he made arrangements for it to be delivered to the tower.

By now Bruce could see that Tamara was really hurting so he suggested they stop to eat somewhere before going grocery shopping. He knew Tamara had more shopping she wanted to do but he was concerned she would overdo things at this rate. She finally relented and they stopped at a small diner to eat. As they were leaving, Bruce could hear sirens in the distance. Happy started the car and they headed off towards a small local market that the team favored for fresh produce. They had almost reached the market when the car was broadsided by another car. When Happy got the car stopped his first thought was to the safety of Tamara and hoping Bruce didn't get angry, so he called JARVIS.

"JARVIS, find Tony, send him here, the car got hit. Everyone's fine but we need to get Bruce outta here before he gets angry."

JARVIS relayed the coordinates to Tony in the lab and had a suit ready for him before he even asked for it. Once in the suit, Tony took off knowing that Happy would take care of Tamara but hating he couldn't risk taking both her and Bruce out together. As he was in flight, he had JARVIS contact the others to let them know what happened. Steve and Thor had gone to Miami to retrieve Tamara's possessions and Clint and Natasha were somewhere in the city. When Tony reached the scene he was relieved to find that everyone did appear to be fine. He could see that Bruce was keeping his anger under control, mostly because he was trying to help a couple of people injured during the accident. Tony looked around for Tamara and saw Happy sitting beside another car but he couldn't see Tamara anywhere. He noticed that Happy had blood on his hands and walked over to see what was going on. He found Happy was helping Tamara, who was inside the car, as she tried to help an injured person. She reached her hand out towards Happy and Tony could see she had blood all over her hands. Tony wondered why she wasn't waiting for the professionals, until he looked inside the car. She had her hand on a young girl's neck, really not much than a baby. Tony could hear her talking to someone, telling them the little girl would be fine but he couldn't see the other person. Tamara looked up at him and he could see fear and desperation in her eyes, but before he could say anything, she shook her head, silently begging him to keep quiet.

"You told me to trust you, but I need to know if you will trust me? No matter what happens, just take me back to the tower, don't let them take me to the hospital, please, I want your word on it."

"Why, what's going on?"

"Can you have sign language translated?"

It only took a minute before Tony nodded his head and closed the mask. He watched as Tamara signed very quickly. "JARVIS, you get all that?"

"Yes Sir, she says the girl is dying but she can stop it. She didn't say how only that it was important you promise to bring her back here, no matter what. If you want her to trust you, I suggest you show her trust first, it may be the only way."

Tony only considered what JARVIS said for a moment, he was used to trusting him after all these years. "OK Tamara, I'll take you back to the tower, no matter what, you have my word."

Tamara leaned forward, closer to the girl and closed her eyes. Tony could see she was saying something but couldn't make out the words, he knew JARVIS was recording though. As Tony watched, Tamara's hand began to glow slightly, barely noticeable even to the sensors in his suit. She took a deep breath and fell forward over the girl. Tony ripped the roof off the car and reached in, pulling her out. She was limp in his arms but he was reassured when JARVIS confirmed she was alive. Without saying anything to anyone, he took off for the tower. It only took him minutes to get there and he found Clint and Tasha waiting for him. He let Clint take her from him and then he removed his suit.

"What's wrong with her Tony?"

"I have no idea but she insisted I bring her back here. Whatever it is, it's something she chose to do and she knew what to expect, JARVIS was recording though. Until Bruce can get back, just put her in her room. JARVIS can monitor her in there just as well as anywhere else. Any word from Steve and Thor?"

"They were getting ready to leave Miami, that doc friend of hers insisted on coming too."

"Good, maybe he knows what's going on, for now we'll just watch her. Without knowing what she did, we don't know what she needs. All I know is she said she could stop a kid from dying but I had to trust her and bring her back here. Let me know when Bruce gets back." Tony gently brushed a stray lock of hair away from Tamara's eyes before turning and heading for the lab. He wanted to study the video JARVIS had recorded and see if he could figure out exactly what he had seen.

When Bruce finally returned to the tower, Tony was still in the lab. JARVIS had downloaded the footage and Tony had been trying to analyze it to figure out what Tamara had done. Tony had already contacted the hospital and found out that the little girl was indeed alive and that even though he'd seen the cut across her neck, there was no cut when she reached the hospital. He didn't know how but he knew that Tamara had something to do with it. Tony came upstairs to check on Tamara and found she was still out but according to JARVIS, her vitals were stable. Tony tried to explain to Bruce what he'd seen but Bruce insisted on staying with Tamara in her room. Tony finally resorted to having the footage sent to a Stark pad and bugging Bruce to just watch the footage. Bruce finally relented but he had no explanation for what JARVIS had recorded either. They both noticed that JARVIS did record the cut across the girl's neck seeming to disappear as if it had never happened, only the blood remained.

Several hours later, Steve and Thor returned to the tower bringing Jake with them. Tony tried to tell Jake what happened but Bruce stopped him. Jake saw concern in their eyes when he asked them where Tamara was, but when Bruce headed away from the others without saying anything, Jake followed. Bruce led him to the bedroom where Tamara had been staying.

"She's been like this for a few hours, but she was fine earlier, we have no idea what's wrong with her. She just made Tony promise to bring her back here so he did. We were kinda hoping you knew what was wrong with her."

Jake sat down beside Tamara and took her hand in his, "What happened, what was she doing?"

"There was a wreck earlier, a little girl was bleeding bad, she did something to stop it but she's been like this ever since. She's not sleeping, more like unconscious, but she's not responding to anything although her vitals are normal."

"Give me a few minutes alone with her. Once she's awake, I'll explain what's wrong with her, if she says I can."


	10. Time to Trust

Time to Trust

Bruce reluctantly left the room and closed the door but Jake was his friend so he trusted him. "C'mon Tamara, time to wake up, you can't stay away forever. I know you feel lost and alone in there but you have friends here who are worried about you." Jake cupped both her hands together and rubbed them gently, waiting for her to respond. As Tamara's hands began to slowly but gently close tighter, he heard her gasp as her eyes began to slowly open.

"Jake, what happened, when did you get here?"

"I got here less than an hour ago, as for what happened, you tell me. You've been out for hours according to your new friends, something happened at an accident earlier today but they didn't or couldn't say what. I think you need to tell them about your gift, they were very worried. Do you have any idea who you're living with?"

"I can't tell them, what if they think I'm weird or something, you know how people reacted before. I don't want to be a freak here too, I want to be normal. And yes, I know who they are but I also know to keep my mouth shut and eyes open. If they wanted me to know they were a bunch of superheroes, I'm sure they would have said something."

"Shhhh, Bruce and the others are worried and I know you'll be hungry so let's go get something to eat."

Tamara dropped her eyes when Jake reached for her hand. "I can't Jake, not without help."

"I won't let you fall, just lean on me."

"Just go tell them I'm awake, tell Bruce I said to tell you what happened in the swamp."

Jake was confused but left the room, he followed the sound of voices and found himself back in a large common room. "She's awake but she needs to eat. Bruce, what happened in the swamp?"

Bruce motioned to Jake to join him on a couch away from the others as Steve left the room. When Jake joined him, Bruce began to explain what happened in the swamp and that Tamara had no feeling in her legs. The concern was evident in Jake's eyes as he listened but Bruce insisted that they were doing everything possible to help her. When he told Jake how Tamara was shot, and why, Jake was not surprised.

Meanwhile, Steve had gone to Tamara's room to bring her in for supper. He found her sitting up in the bed with a jacket wrapped around her shoulders. He gently lifted her into the wheelchair and pushed her into the dining room. Jake had told them to make sure that fresh fruit and other natural sugar items were available and he wasn't the only one who noticed that Tamara mostly focused on the fruit. He decided to insist that she discuss her gift with the others, before she went to bed that night. During dinner, the others had discussed watching a movie together and offered to let Tamara pick something. Tony had already told her if he didn't own it, he could get it easily enough and have it ready to watch within a few minutes. Tamara hesitated, but she did need a few minutes to talk to them first. Bruce was watching Jake while Tamara talked to Tony and was relieved to see Jake nod at him, he hoped it meant that Tamara would explain what happened to her earlier.

When Tamara and Jake joined the others in the media room, Jake knew she was nervous. She had him push her to a small couch but before she could move herself, Steve had picked her up and gotten her situated. Steve sat down beside her and pulled up a blanket, then draped it over her. Tamara grabbed the jacket tighter and drew back reflexively from Steve, Jake noticed and moved close enough to place a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry about earlier, I guess I owe you all an explanation. Just let me explain before you kick me out, I'll leave tomorrow if you want."

Steve was the first to respond, "Why would we want you to leave?"

Tamara tried not to cry but she could feel the tears in her eyes. "Because nobody wants a freak like me living in their house."


	11. Opening Up to Friends

Opening Up to Friends

"Tam, look at us, not one of us here is normal. You know about Bruce and me, and today you found out about Tony but all of us have something special about us, it doesn't mean we're freaks. I promise, no one is going to make you leave, not unless you really want to, and only after you turn 18."

Tamara reached up to wipe her eyes, then looked over at Bruce, "You saw the scars, the ones I told you came from a wreck when I was little. I know when to keep a secret, but not always when to share, so just bear with me here. My grandmother's family has been twins for as far back as we know, it alternates generations with the sexes. Every generation only one twin has kids, the other simply can't. From my grandfather's side, we inherit gifts, special abilities. My grandfather was an empath, my dad understood fire, and my uncle had the ability to sense truth in people. My sister was a pre-cog, she only saw things that could result in death and it was limited in effect. She had to be in contact with the person and it was limited to less than 5 minutes." Tamara looked over at Clint, "that's how I knew you would die, she told me."

Everyone started trying to talk at once but Tamara just waited until they got quiet again. "When I was little, my sister and I were in a wreck on a school trip. Both of us were hurt very bad but my sister was hurt worse. My parents were out of town on a second honeymoon and my grandfather had to make a horrible choice, he could choose to save one of us or let us both die. We were both on life support but my sister was almost brain dead, I had the right side of my chest basically crushed. He came in the next morning and had them use her body to save mine, by then she was totally brain dead. So in a sense, the two of us became one, my parents were upset at losing her when they returned, but the night they first saw me in the hospital, my sister visited us and told them she had made her choice so that at least one of us could have a life. She's been with me ever since, it's why I was able to do so much down in Miami, why I never got caught, she watches over me and warns me."

Tamara was sure that they would call her crazy, everyone always did when she told them her dead sister was watching over her. She wasn't prepared for Steve to reach out and gently hug her, offering both his friendship and support in one simple gesture. That gave her the courage to continue her story. "My grandfather always warned us that there are people out there who would use people like us, people with gifts. He told us the story of what happened to his father in the war. We were always warned not to let anyone know what we could do. Among my people, I would be called a hedge witch but it's not exactly what it sounds like. I can grow just about anything, I use herbal potions and mixes to boost the healing that is my gift. Only it takes my own life force to do so, that's what happened today, I went too far without something to bring me back. Whenever I use my gift, I need lots of sugar afterwards, but I can't eat much so I prefer fruits or Pixie Stix in a pinch."

Tamara reached up and wiped away a tear that threatened to fall. "When my sister died so young, it damaged me emotionally. The single twin usually lives until the one destined to carry the line is married and had children of their own. It's because of my gift that I need something to draw me back, to keep me from going too far and using too much of my own life to save another, a reason to keep living." Jake reached into the bag he had carried in and brought out an album and handed it to Tamara. She opened it and stopped when she found a picture of a young man in uniform which she showed to Steve. "This is my great-grandfather, the picture was taken the day before he was sent overseas. If nobody minds, I'm gonna skip the movie, I just need some time to think, I'll be on the deck. Jake, I trust you to tell them anything you think they should know, you've been telling me I need to trust someone besides you, maybe it's time I start." She slipped back into the wheelchair and pushed herself out of the room, headed for the deck and the stars.

For the next couple of hours the team listened as Jake explained what life had been like for Tamara after her sister died. As he told them about her family, he showed them pictures from the album. In the early pictures, Tamara was with another girl and it was impossible for them to tell which was Tamara and which her twin sister. Then the first pictures after the accident, showing Tamara and her parents visiting a grave. Later pictures were of Tamara at gymnastics practices and competitions. There were also pictures of Tamara at her martial arts classes and competitions. The pictures of her dad stopped with Tamara at her dad's funeral, the ones of her mother stopped with her funeral as well. The last few pictures were of Tamara with an older couple and everyone could see the family resemblance. He told them that she had stopped letting people get close to her when someone she trusted called her a freak because she could heal people. In Miami, mutants were not well tolerated so she hid what she could do, all she wanted was to be accepted. As Jake finished telling them about Tamara and how she managed to survive, Steve noticed how late it was and that Tamara had not come back inside.

Steve picked up a blanket and walked out to the deck where he found Tamara curled up in a lounge chair, watching the stars.

"Want some company?"

"Why not? It's peaceful out here, my grandfather taught me to find my way using just the stars. He said as long as you can see the stars, you'll never get lost. Some of my best memories with him was studying the constellations or learning to shoot. He gave me my first crossbow when I was 10, taught me to use a pistol, then a rifle. We always knew my life would be hard, sometimes I wish I had been born a guy instead. But he trusted his mother's guidance and she told him I had to be prepared to defend not only my life but others as well. We always thought it meant I would become a soldier like him, especially after the military started allowing women in combat positions. Now, I have no idea what to expect, I don't want to be paralyzed."

Tamara started to cry again, tears slowly slipped down her cheeks as she tried to regain control of her emotions. But when she felt Steve settle beside her, she couldn't hold them back any longer. Steve lifted her into his lap and held her close as she let out the tears she'd been holding for so long. Finally, she began to shift and Steve realized that she had cried herself to sleep. Afraid he would wake her if he tried to get up, he simply pulled the blanket around them and held her close as he watched the stars. That's how Tony found him later, still stretched out in the chair with her in his lap, her tears had left streaks down her face. She looked so fragile and helpless that Tony didn't say anything, he just helped Steve get up and put her to bed.

Tamara was surprised to wake in her own bed, then she remembered how she had cried all over Steve's shoulder the night before and she felt embarrassed. When Steve walked into her room a few minutes later, she tried to apologize. "I'm sorry about last night, I shouldn't have done that."

"Tam, relax, you needed a friend last night, I'm glad you feel safe with me. You shouldn't have to hide your feelings, you can't bottle them up forever, they'll eat away at you if you do, trust me, I know. I'm here anytime you need someone to talk to. Jake already left to go home, said it was best this way, but he told us a lot about you last night. You don't have to be alone anymore, you've got friends now and we'll all be here for you. Now, Tony and Bruce want you in the lab once you've eaten. They said something about doing some testing on your back. Tony was up all night reading about work on spinal cord injuries and he's determined that you will walk again."

"Steve, thanks, for being my friend. And I have something for you, it's from my grandfather but I never seriously thought I'd ever get to deliver it. He wrote it a couple days before he died." Tamara reached into her jacket and pulled out an envelope and handed it to Steve, then let him help her into the wheelchair to go have breakfast. After breakfast, he took her down to the labs where Tony and Bruce were busy working. Tony was the first to notice the two of them outside the lab.

"Steve, Tamara, finally. Before we get started, I want to show Tamara her workroom. You said you needed a place for your plants so we cleared a lab for you. If you need more tables or lighting, just let me know. Anything else you need, just ask, if I don't have it, I'll get it. The guys left the heavy stuff on the ground, Jake made sure the fragile stuff was left on tables. Think this will be enough room?"

Tamara couldn't believe how large the room was, or how much Tony had already had moved in for her. There were three tables already lined with plant pots, ready to be used. "Thanks, Tony, I don't know what to say."

"Easy, just say you like it. C'mon Bruce has some tests he wants to run, we need to see what the nerves in your back are doing.


	12. Lab Rat

Lab Rat

Steve followed Tony back to Bruce's lab and settled himself into a chair as Tony set down to talk to Tamara. "We don't really have the right equipment for this so we came up with an alternative after Jake told us how scared you are of hospitals. We're gonna use JARVIS to scan your body to see what's going on. Don't worry, it won't hurt."

Tamara looked over to Steve with trepidation.

"Relax Tam, Tony's used JARVIS on all of us, he can do things the hospitals can't. I promise, they won't hurt you."

Tamara nodded her head but Steve could still tell she was afraid. Bruce and Tony were both so wrapped up in preparing the tests that neither of them noticed. "JARVIS, maybe you should introduce yourself to Tamara."

When Tamara heard the new voice, she frantically searched for the owner before realizing that no one else was in the room.

"Miss Tamara, you have nothing to fear. I have performed these same tests on Tony and the others. You may feel a slight tingle, I believe Mr. Barton referred to it as a "tickle" the first time I scanned him. Have you ever wanted to see inside your own body?"

Tamara nodded, then realized there was no one to notice. She tensed as a beam of light appeared overhead, then relaxed when she felt Steve take her hand in his. She couldn't help but flinch as the beam began to move down her body but she relaxed once she realized it didn't hurt. Once the beam vanished, Steve helped her sit back up on the table and propped the head up for her. Tony and Bruce were busy studying something on the computer so Steve cleared his throat.

"Guys, why not put it where Tam can see too, it is her body after all."

Both looked slightly embarrassed and suddenly, a life size image of herself appeared in the air before her. She watched as layer after layer was stripped away, until only her skeleton and neural network remained. Tony reached out and tapped the image and slowly a small section began to enlarge.

"See that Tamara, that's where a small piece of your spine chipped off, the docs removed it but it had pierced your spinal cord. Now this, is your neural network, you can see the gap where the bone fragment pierced your spine. We need to do some more tests but JARVIS is recording neural impulses beyond the damage so it shouldn't be permanent. The real question is how much damage is actually done, we can try to determine that, but it would mean a few small implants, a lot like I have for my suits. We might even be able to program the implants to bypass the damage, it's up to you if you want to try."

"Can it fail, or make things worse?"

"All I can guarantee is that it will allow us to better record the impulses. Maybe we can use them to bypass the damage, maybe not, but we will be closer to helping you walk again, that I can promise."

"Do it."

"JARVIS, prepare 4 sets of implants. Steve, you help her lie face down. Tamara, it will hurt some, but if you want, Bruce or I can numb your back first."

"Just get it over with, I can handle it."

"Bruce, let's place the ones below the damage first, then the upper sets. Ready Tamara?" She saw that Bruce was on one side while Tony was on the other. Steve knelt down in front of her and she couldn't help but reach out to take his hand. Before she could respond to Tony's question, she felt sharp pain stinging in her back and she bit back a cry but she couldn't stop herself from squeezing Steve's hand tighter.

"All done, now we just need to get your legs moving. Tasha and Clint offered to help if Steve will take you to the gym."

Steve helped Tamara slip back into the wheelchair and took her to the gym. He decided to hang around while Tamara was busy but didn't want to be in the way. He noticed that Thor was also waiting for them so the two began to spar. But behind him he could hear Tasha as she explained to Tamara what they were going to do. After several minutes, he and Thor took a break and he could see that Tamara was lying on her back on a mat with Clint and Tasha seated beside her, each of them moving one leg through range of motion exercises. When he concentrated, he could hear them talking to Tony and Steve down in the lab, confirming the implants were working and that JARVIS was recording the neural impulses. When JARVIS finally announced it was time for lunch, everyone was tired but pleased with the results.

Bruce and Tony joined them in the dining room for lunch and as they ate, Bruce and Tony filled everyone in on the results of the data collected. Both were confident that if the damage didn't heal by itself, that the implants could be used to transmit the impulses to allow Tamara to walk again. Of course, if that happened, it meant that EMP bursts could leave her unable to walk but she didn't care, she knew she was grasping at straws but she was willing to take any chance she got.

Several weeks passed as Tamara worked in the gym, trying to retrain her nerves to function. Then one day she hit her foot against the bed and noticed it hurt, not much, but she could actually feel something. That made her push herself even more, to the point that the others banned her from visiting the gym every day. But that didn't stop her, instead she took to hiding out in her room, working her muscles in whatever way she could manage. By now she was used to JARVIS monitoring her but she had asked the AI to say nothing, unless she was endangering herself. She continued to use the wheelchair to get around, knowing that the more she allowed her body to rest between sessions, the better it would heal. The wound on her back had long healed, leaving only a scar to remind her of how it felt when the bullet slammed into her back.

When she wasn't in the gym or her room, she was down in what the others now called her greenhouse. She didn't mind that they came to visit, so long as they didn't damage her plants. Surprisingly, to the others at least, Clint and Tasha took to visiting her quite frequently. No one commented on the fact that they had keys to a locked cabinet, or even asked what was kept locked up.


	13. December

December

Then early one mid-December morning, Tamara awoke to find the tower eerily quiet. When she asked JARVIS, the AI merely replied that the team had an assignment but that Happy and Pepper were still at the tower. Tamara decided this was the perfect time to work out her surprise for the team. She hadn't had a real Christmas in years, not since her grandmother died and she wound up in foster care. She asked JARVIS to see if Pepper and Happy could meet her in the dining room for breakfast and was pleased when they both agreed. Once there, she swore them to secrecy and managed to take a few steps unsupported. She knew the smiles on their faces were genuine as she collapsed back into a chair. After that, it was easy to get them to agree to help her decorate the tower for Christmas. None of them knew when the team would return so Pepper decided to rearrange her schedule for the day. Like everyone else, she'd grown fond of Tamara over the past few months and had come to regard her as almost a younger sister.

Tamara had JARVIS bring up a map for a farm several miles outside the city. She had met the owners while shopping at a local farmer's market and they had agreed to allow her to come hunt up a tree for the tower. She had gotten permission to bring her "sister" and a friend to help her hunt the perfect tree. Happy had to arrange for a truck, once Tamara convinced him they couldn't bring a tree home in a car. With JARVIS guiding them, it didn't take long for them to arrive at the farm. Since Tamara was still unable to walk very well, she was grateful that Happy had chosen a Jeep for the trip, with a promise that a truck would come pick up the tree. Tamara had the help of JARVIS in her hunt for a tree, she had accessed satellite data to find several possible choices and it didn't take long to single one out. She watched as the tree was cut down and hauled back to the barn where the truck would pick it up later.

After they finished at the farm, they headed off to shop for decorations. Tamara had them visiting antique stores where she picked up several boxes of antique ornaments made of hand-blown glass. Even Happy got into the spirit and offered to help decorate. It had been years since anyone had surprised Tony but he had a feeling Tamara would succeed. Pepper tried to pay for the decorations but Tamara refused, insisting it was her gift to everyone for giving her a place to call home, a family.

By the time the trio returned to the tower, the tree had been delivered and placed in the media room. Tamara happily began to decorate the tree and soon Pepper and Happy had joined in. They were so busy that no one noticed when Director Fury called. Tamara had asked JARVIS to send him a message to ask when the team would return, stating that she was preparing a surprise for the team for Christmas. The only response she received was that they were expected to return in two or three days.

The next day, Pepper returned to work while Happy took Tamara around to do her shopping. Slowly, the car was loaded down with gifts and supplies for wrapping them. She shut herself into the media room and soon the sounds of Christmas music was heard throughout the tower. When Happy finally insisted that she come out, he saw that the tree had a small pile of presents underneath, along with a smaller stack. She took the small stack to her room and then joined Happy for supper. When Pepper returned, she added her own small stack of gifts to the pile under the tree. The next day, a few more were added as Happy's contributions were added.

The next day, Tamara received a message from Director Fury that the team would be home within a few hours. Tamara was excited, she hoped everyone would enjoy her surprise. Her excitement was short-lived though when the team returned, battered and bruised. No one spoke about where they had been but she could see it had taken its toll on them all. As everyone collapsed in the living room, she had Happy help her prepare trays which were carried out to each of them. At first they were all too tired to notice anything but slowly the fatigue left them and they began to notice the meal. Not one of them commented on the tea she had served, except when Tony asked for coffee, but that night every one of them slept peacefully.

By now it was less than 1 week until Christmas and Tamara was trying to figure out how to keep the team out of the media room. She got sidetracked however by the grocery delivery, especially the baking supplies she had ordered. She knew from experience that the others would sleep late after a hard mission plus the tea she gave them would help. As she worked in the kitchen, starting to prepare to bake, she decided to try walking more. Since she had asked JARVIS to keep it a secret, she knew the AI would warn her when the others awoke. As she started mixing dough for cookies, JARVIS began to play Christmas music for her.

That was how the others found her later that morning, seated in the kitchen, hands covered in powdered sugar, while Happy was pulling out sheets of small round cookies. Tony tried to snatch one but Tamara was quick to slap his hands and shoo him away. JARVIS had arranged a selection of Christmas movies for her and she began to organize the order to watch them. She didn't argue when the others slipped in to grab sandwiches but she refused to let them touch the cookies, simply telling the team they were for movie night.


	14. Movie Night

Movie Night

Tamara had made sure that everyone's favorite junk foods were on hand for movie night. Happy helped her keep everyone out, just by telling them she had a surprise prepared. After supper, the others were eager to relax with a movie but during supper, Pepper ran interference for Tamara as Happy helped her slip into the media room. Once there, she made sure that all the snacks were within reach, along with the cookies she had baked earlier that day. Finally, she had JARVIS turn the lights off and load the movies. As the others filed into the room, JARVIS kept the lights low enough that they couldn't see the corner but yet could still see to get settled. Everyone had their own favorite spot for lounging. Tasha and Clint shared a love-seat while Tony, Bruce and Thor had comfy recliners. Steve was used to joining Tamara on the other love-seat while Pepper frequently just curled up in Tony's lap. Happy seldom joined them but tonight he did, relaxing (for him anyways) in a chair he brought in himself.

After everyone was settled, JARVIS turned on the Christmas tree that Tamara, Pepper and Happy had decorated. As the lights began to sparkle, everyone turned to look at it.

"Who put a tree in my house?"

"It was my idea Tony, Pepper and Happy helped me decorate. I just wanted to surprise all of you, you've given me back a family."

Clint noticed the stack of gifts under the tree first. "Hey, presents already."

Pepper laughed, "Yeah, those are from the three of us but we left room. No peeking, from anybody." She knew Steve wouldn't peek, she doubted Bruce or Tasha would and Thor probably had no idea what Christmas was. However, she made sure that Tony and Clint both understood that JARVIS was watching over the gifts. "Now, Tamara has a selection of Christmas movies for us to watch to get in the spirit. And no, you can't leave Tony, you will watch them with us."

As the movies began to play, Tamara was pleased to see everyone had grabbed their favorite snack as "It's a Wonderful Life" began to play. Tamara had chosen it because she knew that all of them doubted themselves at times. She hoped everyone would enjoy the film and stick around for the fun afterwards. Once that movie was over, JARVIS began to play the cartoons she had selected. It was kinda funny to watch these adults enjoying the cartoons she had grown up on. She knew that Steve and Thor would not have had the chance to see them and she doubted that any of the others had either had either, except maybe Pepper and Happy, given what she knew about their backgrounds. Her favorite had always been "The Year Without a Santa Claus" and she relaxed and enjoyed herself, not even caring when Steve caught her singing along with the Miser Brothers.

By the time the cartoons were done, Tamara had fallen asleep, curled up next to Steve with her head resting against his shoulder. Tony couldn't resist getting a picture as Bruce draped a blanket over her. Steve had JARVIS start another movie as the others headed off to bed.

When Tamara woke the next morning, she found herself in her own bed with no idea how she got there. JARVIS informed her that Steve had carried her there before he went to bed himself and that the team had all left to go shopping for gifts. Tamara was delighted because it meant that she had been successful in getting them to forget about the mission and to just enjoy the holiday. She had breakfast, then went down to the greenhouse to tend her plants. As each person returned, they slipped off to wrap gifts before adding them to the pile under the tree. Before long, the tree was overwhelmed with gifts. She still had one last surprise for the team though but that would have to wait for later.

A/N - I couldn't resist having Tamara sing along with the Miser Brothers. I'm over 40 and my son laughs at me every year when he catches me singing along myself but my little nieces and nephews love it.


	15. Christmas Day

Christmas

As Christmas Eve finally rolled around, Tamara told the others she wanted to follow a tradition from her childhood. They again gathered to watch movies, only this time everyone prepared to spend the night in the media room. Earlier that day, she had hidden stockings for each person and a small gift in the room so she could get to the easily. After everyone was asleep, she had Pepper help her hang the stockings and place the gifts beside the sleepers. The final touch was to add a single sprig of mistletoe over the doorway.

Tamara was too excited to really sleep all night but she finally dozed off. She had asked JARVIS to start some music and turn on the tree around 6 am, knowing that the noise and lights would wake everyone up. As the gifts were handed out, she was happy that everyone enjoyed the items she had chosen. It had taken her time to track down gifts for some of them but it was worth it. Even Director Fury had stopped by, for Tamara had not forgotten him in her shopping. She got a large pile of gifts but that didn't matter to her, she had already gotten the best gift of all, a family. Tamara enjoyed watching Pepper catch Tony under the mistletoe and even more when Tasha caught Clint. But she was so excited she soon forgot the mistletoe was still hung overhead. As the team prepared to leave the media room to enjoy lunch, Tamara decided it was time for her last surprise. She had discussed it with Pepper and told her she wanted to walk in to lunch herself. She signaled to her that she was ready so Pepper began to get everyone moving for the table, only to have Steve realize that Tamara wasn't with them. He turned around to see if she needed any help, just to see her stand and take a couple steps. His excited yell had the others turning around, unfortunately, Tamara tripped over something and started to fall. Steve caught her and held her, just long enough for Tony to notice they were under the mistletoe.

"Hey kids, look up."

Clint joined in as well. "Gotta kiss, mistletoe rules."

Both Tamara and Steve were embarrassed, she'd never kissed anyone before and certainly never like that. But Steve just leaned over and lightly kissed her cheek, much like her uncle used to when she was little.

"Merry Christmas Tam." Then he picked her up and carried her to the table to join the others. If anyone noticed the blush creeping over her face, they chalked it up to embarrassment over tripping. But everyone was overjoyed that she had regained enough feeling to be able to walk again, agreeing that was the best Christmas gift for all of them. This was the best Christmas she had in a long time and she was sure the others would never forget their first Christmas together.

A/N - I have more stories with Tamara and the team if there is interest I'll publish them as I complete them. I'll keep writing them though, she's fun to have around and she wants to stay out and play, LOL. I just wish she'd let me write the stories, instead of changing them herself (at least that's how it feels).


End file.
